Posted by Buzzman72 on September 19, 2008 at 10:23:36 from (74.129.220.44):
In Reply to: OT: Salvage Titles?? posted by Casey in Ky on September 19, 2008 at 09:37:01:
Back before "branded" titles were around, I bought a 1988 Hyundai Excel in the spring of 1989. It was a sharp little 4-door sedan, and only had 2,300 miles on the odometer. With the power sunroof and a/c, it was equipped like new models selling for $10-11,000...yet I picked it up for $5,000. Being a Hyundai parts manager at the time, I noticed right off that the VIN had an "A" in the body designation slot. The "A" was supposed to be a 4-door hatchback [5-door in Hyundai terminology], not a sedan...the sedan was an "F".
So it turned out that the car was a rebuilt total. The front unibody rails and aprons had been replaced, as well as the firewall section that had the complete VIN stamped into it. The work was well done, and I never had any problems with the car related to the rebuilding issue.
Whether the original 5-door was rolled or smashed, I have no idea. But from the windshield back, the car was an '87 Special Edition model, with the '88 stereo installed. So I had an '88 title, a car that was mostly an '87, and just for giggles, the rebuilder had installed an '89 grille and lower panel. I also got 32-35 MPG on the highway for the 80,000+ miles I put on it before I moved it along. Structurally, it was as strong when I sold it as when it was originally built. But had the dealership not sent it to the body shop to be inspected by a qualified unibody repairperson, I might've balked at buying what turned out to have been a solid bargain. [Had the repairs not been judged up to standards, the car would've been returned by the dealership to the auction in Texas from whence it came.] The repairs had been done properly, and the car never had alignment problems or other evidence of a bad rebuild job.
The key is, know what you're getting. If you have any doubts, walk away. And if you're not qualified to judge the work yourself, enlist the expertise of someone who is qualified.
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